


Ease My Troubled Mind

by gamorasquill



Category: Mortal Kombat - All Media Types
Genre: F/F, M/M, Multi, There will be some smut in later chapters, and a lot of violence too because well it's mortal kombat, not sure which timeline this is going to follow tbh, story kind of revolves around Ermac's mkx ending
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-17
Updated: 2016-09-16
Packaged: 2018-07-15 14:28:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,826
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7226155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gamorasquill/pseuds/gamorasquill
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shao Khan is dead, and chaos has begun inside his enforcers' mind. Ermac, desperate for help flees Outworld and encounters a certain blinded telekinetic warrior...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Ermac knew.

From the very moment it occurred, he knew. Shao Kahn was dead. Murdered in his throne room by his own tarkatan followers, who sought to put his daughter Mileena on the throne. With Kahn dead, Ermac was now free to make his own decisions and he saw that the things he had done under the Emperor's control were wrong. He had killed countless of people at Kahn's command, and he regret every single life he had taken. In order to make up for it, he decided to leave Outworld and join the Forces of Light.

The only problem was all of the souls inside of him now fought for control over his body. Kahn was the only one that kept them at bay inside of him. His death took away the tranquility inside of Ermac's head. They raged inside of him, tormenting him. He tried to reason with them, but they were too strong for him. Both in number and in spirit. It was useless trying to fight or control them alone.

To make matters worse, Mileena who did not agree with his decision to leave wanted him captured. Dead or Alive. That did not bode well for Ermac because now, the Shadow Priests who had aided Kahn in creating him were now loyal to her. They were the only ones besides Shang Tsung who could help him, but Shang was dead and the Priests would never betray their new Empress. Ermac was all alone in his struggles.

Now he ran through an unfamiliar forest in Earthrealm. Tears streamed down his wrapped face, soaking his leather bandages and making them stick to his face. His head pounded and throbbed, leaving him in total agony. He had never endured a pain so severe, and he wanted nothing but for his torment to end; however, he was all alone. No one one to help him...

When his legs couldn't carry his weight any longer, he fell to his knees. Immediately, his hands clutched at his aching head. Desperate for the pain to end, he attempted pleading with his many souls.

Please...I beg of you...stop this. It doesn't matter who controls this vessel! There will be no vessel if you all continue to--!

 _Silence fool!_ A harsh masculine voice growled, setting off another painful throb. _Of course it matters who controls this vessel and you are obviously too weak to do it!_

 _Do not speak to him that way!_ A softer voice snapped. It was a man's voice...but it was kind, cool and collected. _It is **his** body that you all wish to control so much._

He gulped, swallowing his pain. It was time to leave. Ermac struggled to his feet, only to fall to his knees a couple of wobbly steps later.

 _Hahahaha! Come now you pathetic weakling! Get up!_ Another voice, this one female ordered tauntingly.  _You can't even stand on your own two feet! You're not even fit to control this vessel!_

Ermac wanted nothing more than to just reach inside his head and kill them all. That however was impossible and would result in his own destruction. There had to be another way to silence them...there just had to be!

 _You will not silence us all enforcer._ A seductive female voice hissed. _There are too many of us. We were warriors once, much more powerful than you. Our strength will always prevail over you...there is no escape for you. There will never be any escape._

"Shut up." Ermac growled, forcing himself to his feet. "I will never give into you. Never! You don't...you don't control me."

 _Then you will be easily beat into submission._ She mused, laughing maniacally. _And your body will be mine!_

Ermac ignored her, but her comment sparked another argument between his many souls. He bit his bottom lip, trying to ignore the pain their bickering brought. He continued to walk on his already weak legs, trying to listen for the souls that were calm and collected. There was always one amongst the many hostile voices.

Most of the time it was a male's voice, but sometimes a female's took his place. These few kind voices were the few that had kept Ermac calm these past few days during all the horrible pandemonium. If anyone was going to take over the enforcer's body, he wanted it to be one of them but even he knew that was highly unlikely.

To his immense disappointment, the kind voices were all unusually quiet today. He felt his heart sink in his chest. The extra support was needed at the moment, but it didn't look like Ermac was going to get it.

A rustle in the bushes halted his steps, and the warrior immediately summoned every bit of strength he could. Green energy formed around his hands, swirling and surrounding them. The power he was using made his head throb and pound even more, and his souls shouted protest and angry words at him. He forced himself to ignore them, glaring into the shadowy darkness. 

"We know you're there." He called out. "Show yourself!"

The rustling halted and another man stepped out, and Ermac couldn't help but falter.

The man was blind, his eyes covered by a single strap of blood red silk. He wore a strange red and blue armored suit, and a katana was strapped to his back. His hands were up in the air as a sign of surrender.

"I mean you no harm." He replied reassuringly. "In fact...my only means is to offer you assistance."

"Who are you?" Ermac asked.

The blinded man looked up, and his lips curled in a slight smile. "My name...is Kenshi."


	2. Chapter 2

Ermac shivered as he followed closely behind the blind warrior Kenshi. He was a rather peculiar man; blind yet...he had the insight of a leader. No doubt he was more than meets the eye, but Ermac did not dare trust him. At least not yet. People were not always who they seemed, especially in Outworld.

Somehow, according to the other man, Ermac had been giving off telepathic pleas for help. Now, considering the enforcer's current predicament it was certainly not farfetched. Ever since his departure from Shao Kahn's Fortress, he had been silently begging for help. To his surprise he did not know was that he was actually being heard.

Kenshi, a simple Earthrealmer drifting in Outworld, had heard these cries and quickly ran all over to find the source. He actually feared that he would find it too late, and all that would be left would be a cold and dead corpse.

Luckily for him, Ermac was nowhere near death; just in a dreadful amount of agony and pain. He begged for the blind man's help, explaining his condition.

Kenshi, upon learning of his rather short but dark past, was sympathetic. He understood that all the evil things he had done were caused by Kahn's control of him. In actual fact, he was quite impressed by Ermac's humility and desire to redeem himself. Most of the emperor's...creations were power hungry and bloodthirsty brutes, such as the infamous Skarlet or even Mileena.

Ermac; however, was different. Neither knew why, but he was and they were both grateful for it Kenshi especially. Being of Earthrealm, occupying Outworld and meeting its occupants never seemed to bode well...at least not for the earthrealmers.

"May we ask where we are going?" Ermac asked suddenly, breaking the silence.

Kenshi couldn't help but snicker. "You refer to yourself as a group of people, yet you are only one being. Why is that?" He asked.

"We have only one vessel, but many souls. There are hundreds of us."

"Ah. I see...so who is Ermac then?"

The enforcer opened his mouth to speak, but found no words to say. Slowly his jaw eased back together and he looked away. At first the question seemed foolish. Then...Ermac actually dwelled on it, and he found that..he actually had no idea.

He was just a monstrous creation, built for death and destruction. There was no identity for him, there never had been.

"I...I don't know." He murmured, feeling a bit strange at having addressed himself as I instead of we as he always did. "I have...I have no true identity."

Kenshi frowned at his words, but he wasn't really surprised. This man was after all the spawn of Shao Khan's sadistic mind. His only purpose was to kill and destroy. Nothing more, nothing less.

With a gentle smile, he approached the other and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

Don't worry, we'll figure everything out. He assured him telepathically, but flinching as he did so. His hand came up to grip his head as a thousand voices suddenly flew back at him.

"I'm sorry, I should have warned you beforehand." Ermac muttered sympathetically. "It is probably best to stay out of my head...as of late it is nothing but complete and utter pandemonium."

Kenshi nodded, though his smile didn't go anywhere. "I see...well I'll be sure to keep that in mind, but as I was saying...we will figure this out. I promise you that."

Ermac looked up at him, glowing green eyes dimmed. He had very little hope of that happening, but something about Kenshi's smile made him want to believe. There was so much kindness hidden in that smile, something that amazed the construct. In Outworld you would be lucky to even find a smile at all. Everyone was course, rough, violent and angry.

Green eyes sparkled with interest as he looked over Kenshi's face. He gave the blind swordsman a small halfhearted smile of his own, even though he knew the other couldn't see it.

"You never answered our question." He muttered, attempting to change the subject.

"Raiden's Skytemple." Kenshi replied, noticing that he had referred to himself as a group again. "I am a friend of the deity and I know that he can help you. Once he's informed of your situation, I'm sure he would be glad to offer his aid. Hopefully, we will not be dropping by at an inconvenient time."

"Inconvenient? Is Raiden a busy man?" Ermac asked, furrowing his brow.

"Busy isn't the word I would use. Raiden just seems to be...entertaining a lot of guests as of late, the most frequent being his greatest ally and close friend Fujin. I pray that he does not have any company when we arrive."

Ermac raised an eyebrow, genuinely confused. He said entertaining as if it had a hidden meaning behind it. Nevertheless, he decided not to question and followed after his new ally.

His quiet peace did not last long however. He groaned as a sudden awful ache echoed through his skull, all of his souls crying out and fighting against one another. He stopped dead in his tracks and fell to his knees, hands coming up to grip his head.

Kenshi immediately stopped when he felt a rather harsh telepathic pulse in the air, wincing as he was forced to hear the hundreds of thousands of souls arguing over their vessel. He grit his teeth but hurried over to Ermac, who was weeping and begging the spirits to stop. Sadly, his voice was nothing compared to theirs. It was as if he was whispering to gain the attention of a rioting crowd.

The swordsman made an attempt to force his way inside, but that only them both an excruciating amount of pain. His many souls must have taken him as a potential threat cast him out with a powerful telekinetic push. The blow held so much power that it sent the blind man flying and knocked a dozen trees nearby tumbling to the ground. A pang of regret shot through him when he heard the way Ermac cried out in agony, nearly curling up on the ground.

"Forgive me." He urged, rising to his feet. "I only meant to-"

"They won't stop..."

Kenshi made his way over to the construct and fell to his knees at his side. "Don't worry...this may hurt, but it may also calm them down."

Ermac looked up at him, eyes wide and glistening with unshed tears. "Please...just make it stop." He pleaded. "Make them stop!"

Nodding, the swordsman gripped the other's head, hands encased with blue energy. His sword, Sento, glowed a bright blue in its sheath before slipping out and hovering in the air. The more Kenshi concentrated on Ermac's aching mind, the brighter the sword glowed until finally his ancestors souls were expelled and driven into Ermac.

The construct screamed as the intruders overwhelmed his battling souls, cutting them down one by one. The unsuspecting warriors fell like dominos until finally they lost the will to fight each other and retreated.

Upon their retreat, Ermac collapsed against Kenshi who caught him with ease. He drew back his ancestors, sending them back into the sacred sword which resheathed itself behind him. When he looked down at the man in his arms, he found that he had fallen unconscious but to his relief was still very much alive.

With a smile, he pulled him closer and rose to his feet with the construct gathered in his arms. "Not to worry." He mumbled though he knew the other couldn't hear him. "Soon this will be over..."


	3. Chapter 3

Ermac's eyes darted around the woods curiously, eyeing every single thing in sight. To his amazement and awe, the forests in Earthrealm were nothing at all like the forests in Outworld. For one thing, the trees were silent, not alive and groaning. The animals were small and a lot less threatening. It was serene and peaceful, the construct could now see why Earthrealmers were so much more softer than Outworlders. 

The blind swordsman walked just a few paces further than him, but he seemed to be enjoying his curiousity. "You seem to like things here in Earthrealm."

The soul collective looked down, trying to quell his urge to scrutinize the alien world all around him. "This place is...it's so different, nothing at all like Outworld. It's so quiet and soft, it's the exact opposite of our realm of origin. We have never experienced such tranquility and softness, it is rather nice to us."

Kenshi nodded, his smile seeming to grow. "Yes well, it's always quiet here in this forest. That's why it's so appealing to the thunder god. Raiden loves his meditation time so--!"

"He uses this place for meditation?" Ermac asked, eyes widening just a fraction.

"Sometimes. Usually he uses the Jinsei, a powerful force of good that feeds Earth's life force. His essence purifies it and in return it gives him a calm but powerful aura."

Ermac nodded, almost fascinated with the new information. He couldn't help but wonder if the thunder god would let him see it, but he knew that the chances of that happening were slim to none. 

Suddenly a sharp pain rang throughout his skull and he let out a piercing cry. His souls were at it again, fighting for dominance inside of him. Thousands upon thousand of screams and battles cries echoed throughout his being, and the pain was unlike any other he had ever experienced.

Nearly screaming in agony the construct fell to his knees, hands clutching at his skull. Tears welled in his eyes as he silently pleaded with his souls to stop, but his voice was a mere whisper compared to theirs. 

Suddenly the ground underneath the construct began to tremble and crack. Ermac cried out and unintentionally let out a surge of telepathy. A wave of green energy erupted from him, blowing down the leaves and almost knocking the very trees themselves out of their roots in the ground. 

Kenshi held his hands up, a light blue shield protecting him from the accidental power surge. Though it did keep him unharmed, it didn't spare him from being knocked back a few feet and slamming into a tree trunk.

With a pained groan, the swordsman rose to his feet and rushed back to Ermac's side. He grabbed him by the head and tried to listen in on whatever was going on inside his mind. What met him was a wave of different voices, all angry and dominant. It was like a raging battle inside his head and neither were a match for it. 

Kenshi pulled away with a shocked and pained cry, holding his own head which had also begun to ache. After a moment of recollection he turned back to the construct and tried to help him to his feet. 

"Come on Ermac, we need to get to the temple." He urged, gently trying to help him up. "Ermac, we have to go!"

The construct nodded, struggling to his feet. The battle raged inside his mind but he continued to struggle nonetheless. Without warning, his feet were swept out from underneath him and Kenshi carried him off. 

He rushed away towards the sky temple with the construct in tow. He sighed as they finally reached their destination. A nice temple sitting atop a magnificent hillside mountain. He looked down at the man in his arms, or the construct rather. His lips curled upwards and his hand flew up to point at a diagonal angle.

"There." He replied. "He's in that temple there."

Ermac, who was still weary and in constant pain nodded faintly, not even bothering to look up at what the other pointed towards. It continued to perplex him that a blind man was leading him, but he would not question it. The man didn't seem to act aware of his blindness, and the only reason his lack of sight was obvious was because of the red sash covering his eyes.

"Kenshi, I..I do not think that Raiden will be much help to me..." Ermac mumbled, giving the swordsman a worried look. "T..the last time we met--!"

Kenshi, feeling the unease coming off his companion looked down to offer him a reassuring smile. "Fear not. Raiden is one of the few forces of good left in the realms, he is the protector of Earthrealm. Your origins and past may be somewhat troubling to him, but he can be easily convinced to help you. Especially once he finds out--!"

A rather fierce bout of thunder interrupted him, and Ermac nearly jumped when a man dressed in almost royal garb appeared. The thunder god seemed completely ill prepared for their visit. His shock white hair, which was usually his by his hat fell down to his shoulders. He was dressed in usual blue and white garments, but was barefoot and his clothes were loosened and falling apart.

Kenshi greeted the deity with a friendly smile, gently setting Ermac onto his feet. "Lord Raiden...it's been too long."

"Indeed it has Kenshi...I see you've brought a friend along with you." The thunder God mused, sky blue eyes moving to Ermac who shrunk away from him. His smiled waned some and thunder boomed in the sky. "A friend with a rather familiar face..."

"Yes, I'm aware of who this is and what his past looks like but Lord Raiden you must understand...Ermac is no longer under the influence of evil. Once Shao Kahn was killed, his control over him was lost. He no lingers wants to do us any harm, but he wants to--!"

A cry of pain interrupted him and both turned to Ermac, who was in the midst of another horrible bout of agony from his conflicting souls. The construct had crumbled to the ground, two twin rivers of tears leaking from his eyes. He mumbled to himself, quiet pleas of desperation to the souls within him. Unfortunately, his souls had no intention of listening or complying to him.

"Please...please...PLEASE!" Upon screaming the last word, another wave of power burst from him and destroyed the trees around them, tearing them apart like paper. The construct collapsed and curled up, sobbing and pleading quietly. "Please stop..."

Kenshi turned back to the thunder god, eyes begging behind his blindfold. "Please Lord Raiden he needs your help! If you don't...I'm afraid that...the powers you see now will consume and eventually destroy him." 

The deity looked over at Ermac who was still curled up on the ground, sobbing as he continued to fight through the pain. He felt his own chest grow tight as he looked on. He knew that he couldn't sit and do nothing while this being suffered. There had to be something he could do...

"Bring him and be careful." He advised. "His psychic energy could harm you if you're not cautious." 

Relief flooded through the swordsman and he quickly thanked the god before doing as he was instructed. Sure enough there was a powerful surge of energy around Ermac, and when he approached it was almost like it could feel him coming. It pulsed rather violently with enough force to nearly throwing him backwards and off his feet. After gaining his composure and making a quiet groaning sound, Kenshi pushed on. 

The energy surrounding the construct was unlike anything he had ever felt before. It was filled with thousands of vicious and angry souls, all shouting their dominance and some even fighting for it. If that's what it felt like just being around Ermac...he would hate to think what the inside of his mind must have been like. 

"If you cannot reach him, then I will have to take rather drastic measures to restrain him." Raiden called out to him, watching with lowered eyes.

"I have an idea." Kenshi revealed, removing Sento from its holster. It glowed a vibrant iridescent blue and he stretched it out towards Ermac. The powerful barrier of energy made Sento nearly vibrant from exposure and Kenshi could hear his ancestors inside, frantically questioning him on what was going on. 

This hadn't been the first they had been exposed this energy and Kenshi knew they weren't exactly thrilled to be around if a second time, but Sento was the only way the swordsman could really help. He ignored their demands for an explanation and sent out a pulse of energy of his own.

Ermac's many souls howled at the newfound energy, as if it's very presence burned them with its purity. Quickly they all dispelled, leaving nothing but a broken and sobbing construct in their absence. Ermac laid curled up on the ground, his arms hugging his torso almost defensively. 

Kenshi rushed to his side, quickly hoisting him up into his arms and walking towards the Sky Temple along with Raiden. The construct shook violently in his arms, pure green eyes moving up to gaze at him. 

"H..help me..." He muttered before slumping completely in his arms. "P..please..."

Hang on my friend...we're almost there. Kenshi told him telepathically as he felt the other lose consciousness. 

We're almost there...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the delay but fear not this story is not being discontinued!! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!!


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